Casio Exilim EX-Z9 announced

Casio is expanding its Exilim Z line of compact cameras with the introduction this morning of the EX-Z9.

The EX-Z9 is an 8.1 megapixel camera sporting a 3x optical zoom and a 2.6-inch LCD. Emphasizing ease of use, the camera features 23 "Best Shot" scene/situation preset modes and an "Easy" mode that reduces the number of user-adjustable parameters to a mere three.

Like many of Casio’s latest models, the Z9 also features a YouTube-optimized video capture mode aimed to simplify getting web-res videos from your camera and onto the internet. Though there’s apparently no optical image stabilization, the Z9 does advertise Anti Shake DSP – an ISO boost digital stabilization system, presumably.

As with practically every compact camera these days, the Casio also has Face Detection Technology. Color options include pink, black, silver, and orange. In short, the EX-Z9 sounds like a pretty conventional budget compact.

The camera should begin showing up in retail outlets this month, with an MSRP of $159.99.